Sweet and Sour Braised Brisket With Cranberries

Sweet and Sour Braised Brisket With Cranberries
Liz Barclay for The New York Times
Total Time
4½ hours
Rating
4(214)
Notes
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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings
  • 2tablespoons finely chopped garlic
  • 7tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
  • 1tablespoon black pepper
  • 1tablespoon kosher salt, more as needed
  • 1teaspoon crushed red chile flakes
  • 1teaspoon Aleppo pepper or hot paprika
  • 5pounds brisket, preferably second cut, trimmed
  • 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1large onion, chopped
  • 1(12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries
  • ½cup fruity white wine
  • cup apple cider
  • 2teaspoons pomegranate molasses, optional
  • Chopped parsley, for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

720 calories; 53 grams fat; 21 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 24 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 41 grams protein; 711 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, rosemary, black pepper, 1 tablespoon salt, chile flakes and Aleppo pepper. Place the brisket, fat side up, in a large Dutch oven. Rub meat all over with the spice mixture. If you have time, let meat rest at room temperature for 1 hour. (You can skip this step if necessary.) Transfer pot to oven and roast, uncovered, 20 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    While meat cooks, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in the cranberries and remaining 6 tablespoons sugar. Simmer, uncovered, until cranberries begin to break down, about 5 minutes. Stir in the wine, cider and pomegranate molasses if using. Season with salt.

  3. Step 3

    Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Pour cranberry mixture over the brisket. Cover and cook until meat is very tender, 3 to 3½ hours; turn meat every hour. Slice meat and serve with plenty of sauce and parsley for garnish.

Ratings

4 out of 5
214 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Made this for Christmas dinner and it was delicious. Sweet and luscious with a bit of a bite. I prepared it the day before, which gave me an opportunity to remove the grease. The sauce had really thickened up overnight so I added a little chicken broth and some more cider to thin it out. I loved it and will definitely do it again.

Delicious, and easy. My husband had been down on brisket, saying his efforts had all been unfortunate. He loved it, said it was the best brisket he'd ever had!

Used all ingredients specified, but swapped smoked paprika with a smidge of cayenne for the Aleppo pepper (who has that?) and used some leftover homemade cranberry sauce for the cranberries.

You will definitely need to de-grease the sauce at the end, and I had to cook it longer (with the roast on a cutting board) to thicken it up.

Delicious. I've cooked this on multiple occasions as written to rave reviews. On the most recent occasion I decided to tinker with it a bit because I had other dishes going that needed 325, so the 400 would be problematic. Instead of starting at 400, I put a nice char on the spice-rubbed brisket outside on the grill. Then, I put the brisket and the cranberry mixture into an oven bag to save on scrubbing and cooked at 325 as directed. Couldn't be happier with the outcome.

Made this for Hanukkah and it was excellent. I used orange juice instead of apple cider, gochugaru instead of Aleppo, and a very sweet aged balsamic instead of pomegranate molasses because I had them on hand. The cranberries bring a lovely piquancy to the rich meat.

The recipe notes that this recipe is not kosher for Passover. Wouldn’t the recipe be kosher for Passover if made with kosher for Passover brisket? The remaining ingredients do not violate Jewish dietary laws.

I was unable to find fresh cranberries so used dried cranberries, soaked in a little warmed apple juice to soften. Next time, I might cut back on some of the brown sugar if I used dried cranberries again. Otherwise, the brisket was excellent and got rave reviews from my guests. This is a keeper recipe.

I made this for Christmas Dinner. The store was out of cranberries. I used frozen black cherries. I used dry vermouth in place of the white wine and sweet vermouth in place of the cider. I did add the pomegranate molasses. I made it the day before, strained the fat, then reheated it in the oven on Xmas. Huge hit! Super yummy.

Made extra sauce, ended up not needing it. Excellent and easy.

This was so, so good. Made the day before, and on day of meal I sliced the cold meat and reheated it in sauce. Sauce melted into meat, tasted like barbecued beef with tangy sweetness. Might double or 1.5x sauce next time for more gravy. I used two small briskets, one first cut and one second cut, and they both cooked to melting tenderness.

I made this with short ribs and it was great!

Has anyone made with chuck steak instead? I used brisket last time in my slow cooker and it was great

The cranberry mixture came out so delicious. Would recommend trying this in an instant pot as well.

For pressure cooker: Cut seasoned brisket into 2-3 sections. Use sauté function to heat 2tbs olive oil, lightly brown meat on all sides. Remove meat. Sauté onion 3-4 min. Stir in cranberries, sugar, wine, cider, pomegranate molasses if using. Season w/salt. Return meat, turning to coat, then leave fat side up. Pressure cook on high for 75m, natural release 15 min. Quick release, remove brisket. Skim fat. Use sauté function to reduce sauce to desired consistency, serve. Delicious!

This is an absolutely fabulous, completely perfect recipe. Everyone loved it, so much that I'm going to add it to a regular rotation of brisket recipes. I also had some dates in the fridge, and added them to the braise (after pitting them!). It added some sweetness and some body to the cranberries and the sauce. I didn't find this greasy at all.

Made this for Hanukkah and it was excellent. I used orange juice instead of apple cider, gochugaru instead of Aleppo, and a very sweet aged balsamic instead of pomegranate molasses because I had them on hand. The cranberries bring a lovely piquancy to the rich meat.

Delicious. I've cooked this on multiple occasions as written to rave reviews. On the most recent occasion I decided to tinker with it a bit because I had other dishes going that needed 325, so the 400 would be problematic. Instead of starting at 400, I put a nice char on the spice-rubbed brisket outside on the grill. Then, I put the brisket and the cranberry mixture into an oven bag to save on scrubbing and cooked at 325 as directed. Couldn't be happier with the outcome.

Can I use frozen, or thawed, cranberries?

Absolutely. I've made it with both fresh and frozen/thawed cranberries. There was no discernable difference. I'd attribute that to the long braising process.

Chiming in on "this was delicious - my husband loved it!" I made only 2-1/2 lbs because there are only three of us, and I figured on leftovers. Except, there were no leftovers - they demolished it! Suggest doubling the sauce - I had to add cider twice as the meat cooked, and we still could have used more sauce (it's delicious).

I made this recipe exactly as written. The result was bitingly salty. If I make it again, I'd cut the salt by at least half.

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